Chapter 5

When Fang Tianshan learned that a Light Source Stone could be exchanged for ten contribution points from Shopkeeper Meng, he no longer worried about whether he could become an outer disciple of the Green Cloud Sect. However, to hide his ability to absorb the energy from the Light Source Stones, Fang Tianshan wouldn't be foolish enough to exchange all of them directly.

Moreover, Fang Tianshan needed to absorb the warm energy from the Light Source Stones as quickly as possible to enhance his cultivation.

Only when necessary would Fang Tianshan bring the Light Source Stones that had already absorbed energy to exchange, to ensure he could become an outer disciple of the sect.

What made Fang Tianshan incredibly curious was that the energy from the Light Source Stones, once absorbed, seemed to continuously improve his physical constitution. His strength, which was originally at the Bright Force stage, suddenly burst forth with energy far beyond his expectations. When the force energy circulated within his body, both the meridians that carried the force energy and the dantian that stored it had expanded significantly.

The best proof of this was that the force energy could now manifest as yang energy. Fang Tianshan couldn't understand why this was happening, so he could only objectively examine his body.

For example, he tested his combat strength against other martial artists of the same level and checked if his body had any discomfort.

For the time being, he couldn't detect any hidden dangers, and everything seemed to be in excellent condition. Eager to become stronger as soon as possible, Fang Tianshan could only focus on absorbing the energy from the Light Source Stones.

As for what to do after all fifteen Light Source Stones were fully absorbed, Fang Tianshan hadn't thought that far ahead.

...

Following his usual routine, Fang Tianshan held the Light Source Stone that hadn't been fully absorbed, and the warm sensation became distinctly clear again.

Fang Tianshan had summarized that over the past two months, except for the first absorption in the valley and the breakthrough from the Bright Force stage to the Hidden Force stage, the speed of absorbing energy from the Light Source Stones had been significantly faster.

On a regular day, no matter how hard Fang Tianshan tried, the energy transferred from the Light Source Stones to his body was very minimal, and it would stop once his body reached saturation.

Since most of the day, Fang Tianshan had been on the road back to Green Cloud Town and then engaged in a transaction with Shopkeeper Meng, without any intense battles, his consumption was minimal. After absorbing for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Fang Tianshan stopped.

He got up from the wooden bed, walked to the wooden table, and gently moved it aside. He then squatted down and carefully dug up a stone brick from under the table, revealing a sealed compartment.

Fang Tianshan's living quarters, though sparsely furnished, had a clean stone floor. A few broken stone bricks here and there didn't seem out of place. This kind of layout was very common in the entire Green Cloud Town.

Even when it rained outside, the house remained relatively clean and fresh.

In the compartment, there were ten other Light Source Stones and a small amount of materials. These were Fang Tianshan's special harvest over the past three years. Any items exchanged with Shopkeeper Meng for contribution points could not be reclaimed by ordinary disciples. If they really wanted them back, the price would be higher than the original contribution points. Therefore, like Fang Tianshan, many ordinary disciples would not directly exchange valuable items with the sect.

Besides the Light Source Stones, Fang Tianshan had three other items stored in the compartment.

The first was a mineral that looked similar to a beast's inner core. Fang Tianshan found it when he was digging up some first-grade Ice Heart Jade ore. It was about the size of a bird's egg, round, and its material was unclear—like a mineral but not quite. Its color was slightly bluish.

The second was a root. When he first found it among some dead wood and weeds, Fang Tianshan thought it was ordinary. However, he couldn't break it no matter how hard he tried, and it seemed to have a certain spiritual quality.

Due to his limited experience and knowledge, most of what Fang Tianshan knew was what martial artists should know. Once something exceeded the boundaries of martial artists, unless it was particularly special, he rarely knew about it. After becoming an outer disciple of the Green Cloud Sect, this would likely change. The Green Cloud Pavilion had many reading materials for outer disciples at a low price.

The third item was a small piece of Ice Cold Mystic Iron that Fang Tianshan obtained from the bottom of a pond in the Netherworld Mountains. Ice Cold Mystic Iron, similar in appearance to most minerals, was a fourth-grade material. For the current Fang Tianshan, this was undoubtedly very precious.

Ice Cold Mystic Iron could be used as the main material to forge a True Weapon. True Weapons were weapons that could only be used by True Cultivators, and their power far exceeded the weapons used by martial artists. Fang Tianshan had once considered exchanging this piece of Ice Cold Mystic Iron, but as his contribution points steadily increased, he no longer had that intention.

Good things should naturally be kept for personal use.

At this moment, Fang Tianshan placed the Light Source Stone that hadn't been fully absorbed into the compartment, hesitated for a while, and then closed the compartment, burying it back underground. Relatively speaking, the items in the compartment were Fang Tianshan's greatest wealth and his trump card over the past three years.

...

Taking a deep breath, Fang Tianshan sat back on the bed and took out the Sealing Agent he had exchanged from Shopkeeper Meng. He held it up and examined it carefully for a long time.

Fang Tianshan couldn't really tell what it was. He was just thinking and hesitating about whether to use this bottle of Sealing Agent. Given his current wealth, he didn't have much to spare. After all, this bottle of Sealing Agent was worth nearly twenty contribution points.

Frowning slightly, as if making a decision, Fang Tianshan's expression gradually calmed. He then reached into his chest and pulled out a small black metal plate.

The metal plate was not large, rectangular, and slightly smaller than Fang Tianshan's palm. At first glance, it exuded an ancient aura, with a very deep color and a substantial texture. Faintly, one could see some primordial energy pulsating on the metal plate.

Fang Tianshan knew that this was the restriction of the metal plate. The reason he exchanged for the Sealing Agent was to break this restriction. He obtained this metal plate during his recent trip to the Netherworld Mountains, and it was found in the same small valley where he discovered the Light Source Stones.

More importantly, the place where he found the metal plate was not far from where he picked up the tail of a third-grade Earth Dragon. The metal plate still had a few drops of dark red blood on it, seemingly from a battle.

Fang Tianshan didn't know what would be revealed after breaking the seal on the metal plate or if there would be any danger, but his curiosity kept driving him to want to know the answer. Then, a bitter smile appeared on his face.

According to Shopkeeper Meng, whether the Sealing Agent could break the seal was still unknown.

Without hesitation, Fang Tianshan opened the bottle of Sealing Agent and let the liquid slowly flow onto the metal plate until it was completely submerged. He then stared intently at the metal plate, watching for any visible changes.

However, after half an hour, then an hour, the metal plate remained unchanged.

The liquid on the metal plate seemed to evaporate due to exposure to the air or was absorbed. For the metal plate, the Sealing Agent only served a cleaning function. As time passed, the surface of the metal plate dried, and Fang Tianshan noticed that the ancient aura it emitted became even more pronounced, as if it had existed for a long time.

The few drops of blood that had remained were now completely gone.

Fang Tianshan sighed, thinking that this bottle of Sealing Agent had not lived up to its name. He felt a bit of pain and casually put the metal plate away. If he had known the result beforehand, he might have chosen to exchange the metal plate for contribution points instead of the Light Source Stones, thus avoiding the need to exchange for the Sealing Agent.

However, this feeling didn't last long. While Fang Tianshan was still sitting on the bed, the entire world suddenly shook as if an earthquake had occurred. The ground trembled, and the shaking was intense, indicating the earth's fierce anger.

Fang Tianshan's house seemed to be in danger of collapsing. The wooden table in the room trembled slightly, the flame of the oil lamp flickered, and Fang Tianshan's feet, which were on the ground, instantly felt a deep tremor from within.

Immediately, Fang Tianshan extinguished the oil lamp and rushed out of the house.